Opinion: Antonio Villaraigosa gets spotlighted
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Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa received major props today -- along with three other Californians -- in a Washington Post look at Hillary Clinton’s solid win in the state’s Democratic presidential primary.
Villaraigosa’s staff couldn’t have written a better headline: ‘Clinton’s California Dream Team.’
And the piece contains this nifty nugget, illustrating how Villaraigosa -- already noted for his indefatigability -- pulled out all the stops for his chosen candidate. Noting that after arising one day at 5 a.m., stumping for Clinton in Oakland, San Francisco and Sacramento and then returning to Los Angeles, it says of Villaraigosa:
‘After about 700 miles and five or six speeches on Clinton’s behalf, he still had one more address to deliver. Then he planned to rush home to cook broccoli and chicken for his 14-year-old daughter, whom he sees only occasionally’ because his failed marriage.
Villaraigosa’s messy breakup with his wife -- as well as his utter lack of background in foreign policy matters -- almost assuredly eliminates him as a vice presidential contender, should Clinton nail down her party’s nomination.
Still, in that eventuality, his efforts on her behalf should pay undeniable political dividends for him.
-- Don Frederick